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民數記 14

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1 當下,全會眾大聲喧嚷;那夜百姓都哭號。

2 以色列眾人向摩西亞倫發怨言;全會眾對他們:巴不得我們早埃及,或是在這曠野。

3 耶和華為甚麼把我們領到那,使我們倒在刀下呢?我們妻子和孩子必被擄掠。我們埃及去豈不麼?

4 眾人彼此我們不如立一個首領回埃及去罷!

5 摩西亞倫就俯伏在以色列會眾面前。

6 窺探的人中,嫩的兒子約書亞和耶孚尼的兒子迦勒撕裂衣服

7 以色列全會眾:我們所窺探、經過之是極美之

8 耶和華若喜悅我們,就必將我們領進那,把我們;那原是流奶與蜜之

9 但你們不可背叛耶和華,也不要的居民;因為他們是我們的食物,並且蔭庇他們的已經離開他們。有耶和華我們同在,不要他們!

10 但全會眾:拿石頭打死他們二人。忽然,耶和華的榮光在會幕中向以色列眾人顯現。

11 耶和華摩西:這百姓藐視我要到幾時呢?我在他們中間行了這一切神蹟,他們還不信我要到幾時呢?

12 我要用瘟疫擊殺他們,使他們不得承受那地,叫你的後裔成為國,比他們強勝。

13 摩西耶和華埃及人見這事;因為你曾施展大能,將這百姓從他們中間領上來。

14 埃及人要將這事傳給迦南居民;那民已經見你─耶和華是在這百姓中間;因為你面對面被人見,有你的彩停在他們以上。你日間在中,夜間在中,在他們前面行。

15 如今你若把這百姓殺了,如殺,那些見你名聲的列邦必議論

16 耶和華因為不能把這百姓領進他向他們起誓應許之,所以在曠野把他們殺了。

17 現在求主大顯能力,照你所說過的話

18 耶和華不輕易發怒,並有豐盛的慈愛,赦免罪孽和過犯;萬不以有罪的為無罪,必追討他的罪,自父及子,直到、四代。

19 求你照你的大慈愛赦免這百姓的罪孽,好像你從埃及到如今常赦免他們一樣。

20 耶和華:我照著你的赦免了他們。

21 然我指著我的永生起誓,遍要被我的榮耀充滿。

22 這些人雖見我的榮耀和我在埃及與曠野所行的神蹟,仍然試探我這次,不聽從我的話,

23 他們斷不得見我向他們的祖宗所起誓應許之。凡藐視我的,一個也不得見;

24 惟獨我的僕人迦勒,因他另有一個心志,專一跟從我,我就把他領進他所去過的那;他的裔也必得那為業。

25 亞瑪力人和迦南人中,明天你們要回,從紅往曠野去。

26 耶和華摩西亞倫

27 這惡會眾向我發怨言,我忍耐他們要到幾時呢?以色列人向我所發的怨言,我都見了。

28 你們告訴他們,耶和華:我指著我的永生起誓,我必要照你們達到我耳中的話待你們。

29 你們的屍首必倒在這曠野,並且你們中間凡被數點、從二十歲以外、向我發怨言的,

30 必不得進我起誓應許叫你們住的那;惟有耶孚尼的兒子迦勒和嫩的兒子約書亞才能進去。

31 但你們的婦人孩子,就是你們所、要被擄掠的,我必把他們領進去,他們就得知你們所厭棄的那

32 至於你們,你們的屍首必倒在這曠野;

33 你們的兒女必在曠野飄流四十年,擔當你們淫行的罪,直到你們的屍首在曠野消滅。

34 按你們窺探那四十日,一年頂一日,你們要擔當罪孽四十年,就知道我與你們疏遠了,

35 我─耶和華說過,我總要這樣待這一切聚集敵我的惡會眾;他們必在這曠野消滅,在這裡亡。

36 摩西所打發、窺探那的人回來,報那的惡信,叫全會眾向摩西發怨言,

37 這些報惡信的人都遭瘟疫,耶和華面前。

38 其中惟有嫩的兒子約書亞和耶孚尼的兒子迦勒仍然存活。

39 摩西將這些告訴以色列眾人,他們就甚悲哀。

40 起來,上頂去,我們在這裡,我們有罪了;情願上耶和華所應許的地方去。

41 摩西:你們為何違背耶和華的命令呢?這事不能順利了。

42 不要上去;因為耶和華不在你們中間,恐怕你們被仇敵殺敗了。

43 亞瑪力人和迦南人都在你們面前,你們必倒在刀下;因你們退回不跟從耶和華,所以他必不與你們同在。

44 他們卻擅敢上頂去,然而耶和華的約櫃和摩西沒有出

45 於是亞瑪力人和在那上的迦南人都擊打他們,把他們殺退了,直到何珥瑪。

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 8593

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8593. 'And Amalek came' means falsity arising from interior evil. This is clear from the representation of 'Amalek' as falsity arising from interior evil, dealt with below. Who exactly are steeped in falsity arising from interior evil, and what they are like, must be stated first. Interior evil is that which resides with a person, hidden inwardly. It is concealed in his will and consequently in his thinking, not a trace of it being apparent outwardly, in his actions, speech, or face. People ruled by this kind of evil strive by every method and skill to hide it away, to conceal it under an outward show of being honourable and righteous, and an outward show of love of the neighbour. Nevertheless their only thought is how to inflict harm, and so far as possible to use others to inflict it, taking care to prevent anyone from seeing that they are the instigators. They also disguise actual evil so that it does not look like evil. The greatest delight of their life is to contemplate such things and secretly try to carry them out. This is called interior evil. Those ruled by this evil are called evil genii and in the next life they have been completely separated from those who are ruled by exterior evil and are called spirits. The former - the evil genii - have their hell behind a person, that is, behind his back, where they live in various caverns. But the evil spirits have their hell in front of a person, and also to the sides. The genii belong in the Grand Man to the province of the cerebellum, and also to that part of the spinal cord which sends out the fibres and nerves that control involuntary actions.

[2] One may say further of the falsity arising from this interior evil that it is not like the falsity arising from evil that the evil spirits possess, because it is in itself evil. Those ruled by this evil do not attack the truths of faith but forms of the good of faith. They act through corrupt affections; through these they pervert good thoughts, doing so in a way almost inconceivable. Because they are like this their hells are completely separated from the hells of evil spirits, so completely that they have scarcely any contact with them; and they are separated in order that they may also be separated from members of the spiritual Church. For if they were to flow in from their hells, the member of that Church would be destroyed because they would act very secretly on his conscience and would pervert it, which they would do by inflating his corrupt affections. Those hellish genii never attack a person openly, or when he can offer strong resistance, but when it is seen that the person is slipping and may therefore give in. At this point they are suddenly at hand, and give him a shove so that he falls completely. This is also represented by Amalek's coming up to attack Israel now, as well as at a later time when the children of Israel set themselves against Jehovah and were afraid of the nations in the land of Canaan,

Then also Amalek came down with the Canaanite from the mountain, and struck down the children of Israel as far as Hormah. Numbers 14:43, 45.

[3] From all this one may recognize what those people are like who are represented by Amalek, and the reason for the judgement pronounced over him by Jehovah that war will be waged against them forever and that the memory of them will be wiped out from under heaven, in accordance with the following words in the final verse of the present chapter,

Because the hand of the evil ones is against the throne of Jah, the war of Jehovah will be against Amalek from generation to generation.

And in Deuteronomy,

Remember what Amalek did to you on the way when you came out of Egypt, that he met you on the way, and cut off at your rear all the weak, when you were tired and weary; he did not fear God. When Jehovah your God has given you rest, you shall wipe out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget. Deuteronomy 25:17-19.

Also in the first book of Samuel,

Jehovah declared to Saul through Samuel, I have resolved to punish 1 what Amalek did to Israel, how he set [himself] against him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Therefore go and strike Amalek, and utterly destroy all that he has; do not spare him, but kill man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. But Saul spared Agag the king, and the best of the flock and the oxen, and of the fatlings, 2 and the rams, and all that was good. Therefore it was declared to Saul that because of this he would no longer be king over Israel. 1 Samuel 15:2-3, 9, 23.

The declaration that the memory of Amalek should be wiped out and that everything there should be utterly destroyed meant that evil genii should have no contact whatever with those belonging to the spiritual Church; for they are in contact with those who are not governed by truths but from an evil affection uphold falsities.

[4] Who can fail to see that except for some more deeply hidden reason Jehovah would never have said that war was to be waged forever against Amalek, that the memory of him was to be wiped out from under heaven, and that everything there was to be utterly destroyed, though all this was not in fact carried out? That more deeply hidden reason why these things were said and done is embodied in Samuel's words to Agag the king of the Amalekites, whom Saul had spared,

Agag the king of Amalek went to Samuel delicately. 3 But Samuel said, As your sword has bereaved women, so shall your mother become the most bereaved of women. And Samuel cut him in pieces before Jehovah. 1 Samuel 15:32-33.

'Going delicately' means the outwardly charming ways that such people have in the presence of others. 'Your sword has bereaved women' means that their falsity does violence to good affections; 'your mother shall become the most bereaved of women' means that evil affection which originates in the will, not in the understanding, will hold sway among them; 'and Samuel cut him in pieces before Jehovah' means that they were separated from those ruled by falsity arising from evil that originated in the understanding, that is, genii were separated from spirits, as stated above. For the meaning of 'women' as affections, see 568, 6014, 8337; and for 'sword' as falsity engaged in conflict and laying waste, 2799, 4499, 7102.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. literally, visit

2. literally, of the second sort

3. literally, In delights

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.